


Making Magic

by acuteneurosis



Series: Caught in the Act [16]
Category: Skip Beat!
Genre: Curses, Gen, Magic Shop, Malice - Freeform, One-Sided Attraction, Spells & Enchantments
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-16
Packaged: 2020-01-07 03:51:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,069
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18402554
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/acuteneurosis/pseuds/acuteneurosis
Summary: Some things are just perfectly serendipitous. Suspiciously so.





	Making Magic

**Author's Note:**

> Vol 3 Cover, Act 17

The evening was cool and damp, making Koenji Erika shiver as she scuttled down the street. Normally, she would have sent one of her servants out on this errand, but their research showed that these sorts of purchases would be best made by the user. And apparently no amount of love for her could cajole her loyal attendants to brave the dangers of "dark magic."

And perhaps, if she were behaving very oddly and being honest with herself, she would say that she was embarrassed to be resorting to a trick like this. Because it would mean that her other methods had failed. Or even worse, that she was not, shudder, good enough.

The buildings became more and more eerie as she continued down this particular road. It was not that anything about their shape or construction changed. Rather, a darkness seemed to ooze from the substance of the street, getting denser and denser the closer she got to her destination.

An old brick building in its own small lot with a flowing script carved over the door.

_Language of Angels_.

Such an innocent name for a shop, and such an inappropriate name for this one. Erika grimaced at the oldness of the building. She could not call it dilapidated or dirty, because it was neither of these things. But it felt archaic. Gothic. In the most unfashionable sense of the word.

"Look Nee-san, a customer."

If the building was gothic, these two girls were the epitome of the fashion, as far as Erika could tell.

"She looks a little lost," the older of the two noted, smiling in a knowing sort of way. Her blue-black dress with white underdress, heavy sapphire earrings, and chestnut blonde hair did not look a bit out of place on her person or in front of this building. She sat on a brick wall that extended from the shop, her gloved hands resting on the edge, her booted feet planted firmly apart on the ground, as if she were ready to jump up at a moments notice.

"See the paper in her hand," the little girl in red velvet and heavy lace indicated with a smile. She leaned in close to the older girl in a conspiratorial, affectionate manner. "I'll bet it has our address on it."

"H-how do you know that," Erika stammered, unable to call forth her usual confidence in this cold, shadowy place. The little girl shook her head of blonde curls, the two bunches almost getting tangled in the large clusters of roses that were pinned to the sides of her head.

"Well, all the neighbors… went away. So if you're coming this way, it has to be to see us."

"So what can we do for you?" the older girl asked, bracing her chin on her hands as she leaned forward in interest. "I assume you already know what our services are, if you are here."

Erika gulped. "There's someone I… want to destroy. With all of my power!"

Both girls looked skeptical.

"You don't have much power, do you," the older sighed, standing up and dusting her dress. "I bet you've never even had the courage to say, 'Thank you,' to someone with sincerity. Ah well, as long as you have money…"

"Here," Erika challenged, grabbing a fistful of bills from her pocket. "I have plenty of money."

"Then you can be a customer," the little girl said, jumping down from the wall and dashing into the shop ahead of the other two.

"Is there any particular reason you want to destroy this person?" the older girl asked as Erika followed her to the entrance.

"Too many to count," Erika declared with a grimace. She received a giggle in answer and glared, but the shop-keeper ignored it.

"Welcome, honored customer," she greeted as they stepped through the doors. Erika tried not to faint. Inside was just as dark and gloomy, if not more so, and there were signs everywhere of what evil business was at work. In spite of the darkness, Erika saw no cobwebs, but the multitude of skulls, creepy dolls, and what looked like jars of goo made her stomach turn. The smell was of heavy incense over rotten meat.

"We tried to make it smell less like the last people that used it," the little girl explained from her seat on one of the counters. "It wasn't very pleasant."

"It still isn't gone," the older one sighed, shaking her head. "Maria, we're airing it out again tomorrow, right?"

"Yes. Since we'll be closed."

"Looks like I came on the right day," Erika commented with a laugh that failed quite miserably to be either humorous or haughty.

"They always do," Maria answered casually, picking up one of the wax dolls on the counter and beginning to turn it over in her hands. "That's the sort of place that this is."

"A place to perfectly suit the needs of our valuable customers," shopkeeper-who-was-not-Maria added. "And you said that you needed to destroy someone, didn't you? Would that be a literal destruction, or were you thinking something more like their reputation?"

"Her…" Erika hesitated, not sure what to say. Not-Maria smiled.

"Her body, her heart, her mind, her fortune? Is there anything in particular you want to ruin? Because we can give you something with a general destructive power, but things go more quickly and successfully when you have a very clear idea of what you want to do to the other person. And the more specific, the better."

"I want her to never be famous. I want her… skill to always be lower than mine, like it should be." Her face screwed as Erika recalled the latest insult she had had to endure. "I want to prove that I can legitimately solve my problems with money!"

There was a snort from Maria, but when Erika whipped around to glare, the girl was innocently humming, playing still with the wax doll.

"Solving your problems with money," Not-Maria repeated slowly, her hands tracing random patterns on one of the display tables. "Well, money can absolutely solve problems. And it won't even cost you too much to pay for this spell."

"How much?" Erika asked, suddenly unsure of the large amount of cash in her pocket. She knew that she carried much more spare change than the average commoner, but she had the abrupt fear that this was more than she could afford.

Not-Maria named a sum. Erika's jaw dropped.

"Can you not pay?" Maria asked in a falsely cheerful tone. "I thought you had money."

"I do," Erika choked. "I have enough. But that's-"

"For a curse that is going to do specifically what you asked," Not-Maria interrupted, smiling. "We aren't selling you any of our generic products on display here. This is a commission. We have to charge extra for the special materials. Because you are a special customer."

Something in the way she said it eased Erika. Flattery, even sparse and tame flattery, was her weakness, and the fear she had been feeling began to fade. Perhaps it was Not-Maria's tone, or the particular look on her face, but she seemed to know just what to do to make Erika relax.

"Well… I guess that it's reasonable."

"Excellent. I'll go and prepare some things then, if you'll just wait here."

Erika was about to protest, but could think of nothing valuable to say. She glanced over at Maria, who was busy working what looked like a lock of hair into the back of the doll she had been holding.

"What's that?" Erika asked after a long silence, tired of nervously nibbling her nails.

"A new spell," Maria answered, smoothing the wax surface over the hairs. "The normal ones aren't working, so I'm trying an experiment. It was Kyoko-neesan's idea to try making my own spell. This time-" She broke off on a blissful sigh, giggled, blushed, and reached back to grab a vial from behind her.

"And what is that?" Erika asked again when she realized she was being ignored as Maria rubbed the contents of the vial all over the doll.

"A special oil. Hopefully, the lock of hair _and_ the name will work properly." She frowned in frustration.

"You can just try again, can't you?"

"It was hard to get the hair," Maria confessed, actually looking at her customer. "I don't think I can manage it again."

"What's so hard about getting a little bit of hair?"

"Well, first there's getting past security-"

When Kyoko abruptly returned to the room and cut Maria off, Erika let a small sigh escape. The little girl made Erika nervous.

"Here you are. I made sure to mix your particular wishes in, but understand that words only accomplish so much. The spell will do what it believes it is supposed to, so don't be surprised if things don't go exactly the way you plan. Made sure to add some of the essence of the person you are trying to curse within the next two days, or the spell will spoil. When you've added it, follow these instructions. They should be simple enough.

Erika glanced at the sheet of paper she was handed, grateful to see that there wasn't anything strange like naked dances in the moonlight as part of the spell. She handed over the required payment and turned to leave when she suddenly stopped.

"Is that real?" she asked, pointing at a small display in the corner advertising romance spells and charms.

"Oh yes. Enchantments, allurements, and even just simple charms for good luck with relationships," Kyoko answered promptly.

"So, you can make someone specific fall in love with you?"

"Well… yes. Magically."

"I want one of those spells."

"You'll have to ask Maria. She would be the expert."

"Really?"

"Oh yes," Maria chimed in, hopping off the counter. "Nee-san doesn't like dealing with love issues, but I've had to do lots of personal research. But it will be much more of a long-term contract. You'll need persistent spells, and since you've never done anything like this before, you'll need to be taught all along the way."

Erika managed a condescending look. "Well, as long as it works, I suppose I can let _you_ teach _me._ It couldn't hurt."

Maria glared, but her companion coughed before the little girl could say anything. The two shared a look which seemed to communicate an entire conversation and the younger one sighed.

"Good. Then we'll get started. The simplest spell to begin with will be a wax candle."

"Like yours?"

"Mostly. I'm trying to overcome some extra barriers, so I'm fiddling with the normal spell, but as long as it would be a normal relationship…"

"We're made for each other," Erika said dreamily, her face cradled in her hand as she sighed.

"Right. Well then, what's the name of the person you want to enchant?"

"Tsuruga Ren," Erika confessed with an upturned nose and a besotted glance. Kyoko took a sharp breath and Erika looked into a pair of suddenly worried gold eyes. "What?"

* * *

"You shouldn't have done that," Kyoko scolded calmly as she hefted a table and began to restack its contents. She pushed her hair out of her face as it danced in the breeze that came through the open door.

"I don't see the problem. She'd already paid. And no one," Maria answered in a tone that brooked no argument, "is allowed to have Ren-sama. He's _mine_."

"Yes, yes," was the disinterested answer. Maria sniffed.

"You don't have to fall in love. But I want Ren-sama. And I can get him too. Just wait. One of these spells is sure to work. It only needs to make him ignore some insignificant social inhibitions. You'll see."

"He still hasn't even come by the store."

"It doesn't matter. Some day he'll come. And he'll realize he's in love with me, and he'll promise to wait a few years until I'm old enough, and we'll get married and live happily ever after."

"And I get to play your jealous, wicked witch," came a teasing answer.

Maria smiled. "We'll see. It all depends on how Ren-sama thinks of you."

"Well, he isn't going to like me," came the derisive response.

Maria shook her head firmly. "Ren-sama is kind to everyone." Maria answered as she finished carving Ren's name into the back of the candle. "You'll see. I'm sure he'll like you."


End file.
